Head Start: Investment in the American Dream

NHSA recommends FY26 funding of $14.91 billion for Head Start, supporting the country’s most vulnerable children, their families, and the communities in which they operate. This investment will provide a cost of living adjustment; allow programs to address critical local quality improvement priorities; and expand recruitment and development of staff for American Indian/Alaska Native programs. In addition, it would fund the demonstrated need for expansion of Head Start and facilities improvement through separate competitive grant programs to be administered by the Office of Head Start.

Head Start provides children from disadvantaged backgrounds with the opportunity to enter school ready to learn while at the same time helping set their families on a path to achieving economic mobility. In other words, Head Start is a critical component of families seeking to achieve the American dream.

What is Head Start? A Proven and Effective Model

The Head Start model takes a comprehensive approach to setting children and their families up for success through four components:

• Education: Leaning on decades of brain science, Head Start assists children in building the brain connections and self-confidence necessary for success in kindergarten and beyond. Research shows that Head Start alumni are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in & graduate from college.¹
• Health: Understanding children must be healthy to succeed, Head Start partners with parents to ensure they receive dental, physical, and mental health services and necessary referrals. Children receive two balanced meals and a nutritious snack daily to support healthy development and foster lifelong positive eating habits. Research shows Head Start alumni are less likely to smoke or experience poor health as adults.²
• Parent Engagement and Support: Head Start believes parents are a child's most important teachers and requires their involvement in major decision-making throughout their child's Head Start experience. Head Start works with parents to put them on a path of economic self-reliance through goal-setting, parenting training, and authentic engagement, enabling parents to join the workforce and stay working. Research shows that Head Start students are less likely to need public assistance or live in poverty as adults.³
• Local Design: Acknowledging that each community has different strengths, resources, and challenges, each program is designed to reflect the traditions, priorities, and cultures of the community. Parents are a central voice in decisions about how the program spends money, what children do in their classrooms, and how it works with community partners.

Bipartisan Support for the Future

Since its inception, every administration and Congress has made a bipartisan commitment to the at-risk children and families Head Start assists because Head Start gets results. Putting children and families on the path to success in school, in work, and in life will undoubtedly brighten the future of our nation.

¹ National Bureau of Economic Research, (2021)

² Anderson et al., (2010), Johnson, R.C., (2010)

³ Bailey, M. J. et al., 2020

NHSA's Recommendations for FY26:

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) — $390,000,000

For several years, Congress has graciously allotted year-over-year cost of living adjustments (COLAs) for Head Start. However, many of the COLAs have not been in line with inflation and, as a result, many programs struggle to hire and retain quality staff. This directly impacts quality of services and continuity of care, which are both essential for achieving the returns on investment that Head Start has proven it can achieve. NHSA recommends

$390,000,000 for a 3.2% COLA in FY26.

Expand Quality Improvement Funding — $459,000,000

Quality Improvement Funds are statutorily designated to address critical local needs as identified by individual grant recipients in partnership with federal administrators. Based on demonstrated need, they can be used for items such as increasing staff salaries and benefits, enhancing mental health services for children, families, and staff, lead abatement, and providing the training necessary for staff to support and individualize services to children with special needs, including those who have experienced opioid addiction or trauma. NHSA recommends $459,000,000 for Quality Improvement Funds in FY26 to allow programs to address critical local needs.

Recruit & Develop Staff for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Programs — $2,000,000

The percentage of Head Start teachers in AI/AN programs with the access and resources to receive their bachelor's degree lags significantly behind Head Start teachers with bachelor’s degrees nationwide. The Tribal Colleges and Universities–Head Start Partnership Program helps expand the number of teachers culturally and linguistically suited to address the growing need for Head Start and Early Head Start services in AI/AN communities. NHSA recommends an additional $2,000,000 in FY26 to help Tribal Colleges and Universities develop the staff to address the growing need for culturally and linguistically appropriate staff in AI/AN Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Expand Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start — $450,000,000

Head Start serves just a fraction of those eligible – Head Start Preschool (ages 3-5) reaches only 26% and Early Head Start (prenatal - age 3) reaches only 13% of eligible children. Many fully-staffed, fully-enrolled programs have lengthy waitlists and are looking to expand. Fewer than 15% of programs that applied for Head Start expansion grants in 2024 received funding, again demonstrating that a significant need for expansion remains. NHSA recommends $450,000,000 in FY26 to expand Head Start Preschool and Early Head Start via a grant program to be administered by the Office of Head Start.

Address Demonstrated Need for Facilities Improvement — $634,000,000

In its FY15 Head Start Facilities Report, the Office of Head Start projected that “7,857 centers will need to be rebuilt, renovated, or undergo outstanding maintenance and repair at a cost of $3,839,941,250 (average cost per center = $488,703).” With inflation having increased the average cost to an estimated $634,000, Head Start programs need funding beyond what they receive in normal Head Start grants to repair, renovate, rebuild, or replace facilities to provide a safer, more welcoming, and nurturing environment for children and staff. NHSA recommends $634,000,000 in FY26 for Head Start programs to repair, renovate, or rebuild facilities via a competitive grant program to be administered by the Office of Head Start.